Lidded container

ABSTRACT

In a combined container and lid the lid is provided with an inverted approximately U-shaped edge defining a lid wall which, when the lid is mounted on the container, projects into a flanged end of the container. The lid has a skirt which surrounds the container end and is provided with means for tightening and/or clamping it at least at the free edge of the skirt in order to reduce the circumferential length of the skirt edge, so that when the lid is pressed onto the container end it simultaneously compresses said flanged end to provide a sealing closure in the U-shaped edge of the lid.

United States Patent Spreng Oct. 28, 1975 LIDDED CONTAINER 3,696,962 10/1972 Fehres et al. 220/60 R 3,753,511 8/1973 Ruch 220/60 R X [75] Inventor- Julus Spreng, Magden, sw'tzerland 3,770,156 11/1973 Yates, Jr. 220/60 R x 73 A i BMW V0ge| AG Aesch 3,792,797 2/1974 Mrusek et al. 220/60 R Switzerland Primary Examinfer.lohn Petrakes [22] Flled' June 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kurt Kelman [21] Appl. No.: 367,896

[57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl 220/308; 220/378 In a combined container and lid the lid is provided [51] B65D 43/10 with an inverted approximately U-shaped edge defin- [58] Field of Search 220/55 R, 55 AN, 55 Y, ing a lid wall which, when the lid is mounted on the 220/55 K, 42 C, 59, 60 R, 306-310, 378 container, projects into a flanged end of the container. 7 The lid has a skirt which surrounds the container end [56] References Cited and is provided with means for tightening and/0r UNITED STATES PATENTS clamping it at least at the free edge of the skirt in 2 148 468 2 1939 Hothersall 220/59 x Order to reduce Circumferential length of the 2,335,647 11/1943 Chamberlain... 220/59 edge, 50 that when the lid is Pressed Onto the C011- 3,322,299 5/1967 Foster 220 60 R tainer end it Simultaneously compresses Said flanged 3,532,244 10/1970 Yates, Jr. 220/60 R X end to provide a sealing closure in the U-shaped edge 3,618,802 11/1971 Yates, Jr. 220/60 R Of the 11d.

3,687,334 8/1972 McNeil 9 220/60 R 0 3,688,942 9/1972 Mitchell Ct :11 220/60 R 3 Clams, 7 Drawlng Figures 2 2d lb 2c 2e US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,915,336

2 2d lb 20 US. Patent OCLZS, 1975 Sheet 2 01*2 3,915,336

LIDDED CONTAINER This invention relates to a container with a lid, examples of such containers being tins, drums, lidded barrels and lidded cannisters.

The hitherto known lids of such containers, which are usually simple press-in lids, are often retained and partially secured by a so-called clamping ring or closure clip. This clamping ring grips at least the flanged or folded edge of the container wall and the similarly constructed edge of the lid and can be tightened by a lever clamping device generally attached to the clamping ring so that both the said edges are closely pressed together.

The cross-section ofthese clamping rings is designed either as a horizontal U-section which is open inwardly or as an inverted U-section which is open downwardly. It is known that both embodiments are not entirely satisfactory. first as regards cost because a clamping ring must always be supplied with each container and lid, and, secondly, from the point of view of handling, because the clamping ring or the attached lever clamping device can only be clamped by hand.

The aim of the invention is to provide a container with a lid, in which the lid in particular seals satisfactorily and is secured for safe transport without additional parts, so that it is unnecessary to use a clamping ring or the like.

According to the invention a lidded container comprises a lid with an inverted approximately U-shaped edge providing a lid wall which projects into a flanged end of the container and reinforces the container wall at least radially, the lid having a skirt which surrounds said container end and is provided with means for tightening and/or clamping it at least at the free edge of the skirt in order to reduce the circumferential length of said skirt edge, so that when the lid is pressed on the container end it simultaneously compresses said flanged end to provide a sealing closure in the U- shaped edge of the lid.

In the container according to the invention the clamping of the lid or lid skirt and/or skirt edge of the same, can be effected with tools which can easily be designed and used as components of an at least partially automatic clamping and/or closure device or system.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of the wall of a container and lid in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. I,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of a second embodiment of the lid,-

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the lid,

FIGS. 5 and 5a show a corner portion of a lid of a cannister type container, viewed 'from above, and shows parts of a tool for clamping it, and

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a further embodiment of a container and lid in accordance with the invention.

FIG. I is a partial longitudinal section of a container I, here shown as a frusto-conical container, and an approximately U-shaped lid 2 with an advantageous edge construction.

Above the stacking bead la, which usually runs right round the periphery, is the upper end lb of the container wall which has at least a customary rolled edge 10 but advantageously a similarly rolled, but specially profiled, flange 1d.

The lid 2 has a raised base 2a, a recessed rounded groove 2b for stacking further containers, a raised lid wall 20 likewise frusto-conical in this case, a space 2d defined by the parts mentioned above, a wide edge ring 22 and a lid skirt Zfdepending from the latter, the skirt edge 2g preferably being beaded as shown or folded flat. The lid wall 2c, the edge ring 2e and the lid skirt 2f together form an edge groove 2h which receives a sealing ring 2i and has an advantageously designed cross-section.

According to FIG. 1 the lid skirt 2fand the skirt edge 2g are shown by three different types of lines to illustrate more clearly their design and function. Thus the solid lines with the shaded sectional area show the abovementioned parts of the lid in the unclamped condition and also the internal dimensions of the skirt edge 2g so that it, and thus the lid, can easily be placed over the profiled flange 1d of the container 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow B. In contrast, the dot-dash lines 2k indicate where the skirt edge 2g in particular should be positioned to clamp the lid securely on the container. It can now be appreciated that reduction of the circumference of the skirt edge 2g at least is necessary for this purpose and that a means to enable and effect this reduction should preferably be provided at least on this skirt edge.

A first embodiment of such means is shown in FIG. 2 and consists in the clip-shaped lid skirt 2f having at least one slot-type recess 21 and only parts of the skirt edge section 2gg located underneath the recess and folded flat in this case being drawn in to a lesser extent, thereby forming at least at one end a wedge-type side closure 2m. This means that at this point at least a deformation of the material and an increase in the circumference of the skirt edge 2g take place.

If the partially extended skirt edge section 2gg is pressed against the skirt edge 23, which is a continuation of this section and is retracted to a greater extent and therefore set back, to form an approximate clip shape, a tension effect is produced on account of the wedge-type side closure in particular, predominantly at the lower part of the skirt edge and brings about the required reduction in the circumference thereof. The greater the number of such skirt edge sections with wedge-type side closures formed on the lid, the greater will be the above-mentioned reduction and the more tightly will the lid be clamped at the end of the container wall.

FIG. 2 shows further that the lid 2 can be designed as a lid ring with a deep-drawn inner lid collar 2n for receiving, for example, an additional press-in lid (not shown).

It goes without saying that the lid 2 may be provided with at least one opening for insertion of a closure or spout of any kind.

Returning once again to FIG. 1 and considering the broken lines 20, a skirt edge section Zgg and a corresponding lid skirt part 2ff above it can be seen, the latter being drawn in to a lesser extent. This shows that it is not absolutely essential to design the lid skirt 2fwith slot-type recesses and that the wedge-type side closures are then partly drawn up in it, i.e., terminate in it.

The dot-dash lines 2k in the same Figure also shown how the skirt edge 2g approximately pressed and/or tightened at the container wall end lb compresses the profiled flange Id of the same into the edge groove 2h, with the result that the lid as such is still further secured.

As a closure the lid just described is able to form a satisfactory seal, particularly because the lid skirt 2f when securely clamped changes its angular position and so heavily compresses the sealing ring 21, which accordingly still surrounds a substantial area of the profiled flange.

Another embodiment of the described means is shown in FIG. 3. The lid skirt 2f again incorporates at least one slot-type recess 21, the corresponding skirt edge section Zggg underneath likewise being folded flat and also extended lengthwise in such a way that it projects, for example in an are. As in the case of tin cans, it can then easily be gripped by a turning part or by the milled slot 3a of the latter. Rotation of the turning part, for example in the direction of the arrow S thus reduces the circumference of the skirt edge 2g about the container wall end lb also in this case.

In the further embodiment according to FIG. 4 the skirt section Zggg is interrupted and the two resulting spacedapart ends are joined together by means of a wire 3b which is, for example, soldered to them. This wire is not tightly tensioned, but dimensioned so that it can be gripped, for example, by a pliers-type tool. The required reduction of the circumference at least of the skirt edge 2g is also achieved in this case by rotation of the tool about the longitudinal axis.

lndentations 30, which are pressed into the curved portion joining the edge ring 22 to the skirt 2f and are designed to prevent resilience of the skirt, are indicated by dot-dash lines.

The above explanation of the invention indicates designs, which have clearly led to containers with new clamping lids, which constitute technical and economic progress. The technical progress results from the simplified production without elaborate, additional closure clips with lever clamping devices, the economic progress from saving of the latter and the possibility of closing the container and clamping the lid, particularly at least the skirt edge of the latter, by means of a tool. The latter is advantageous in the case of containers with a round or square cross-section. It can therefore be stated that the present container with lid can also be of square or rectangular design.

FIGS. 5 and 5a show schematically the clamping using tools of at least the skirt edge 2g of a lid 2 and in particular the pressingin of at least one skirt edge section 2gg thereof. For this purpose there are required at least a fixed support 4, which is moved into the lid space 2b or vice versa and applied approximately to the lid wall 20, and a movable pressure part 4a, which presses with its shaped surface 4b and with a predetermined forward movement against the support, thereby pressing the skirt edge section Zgg to the permissible extent against the container wall end lb.

Both the support 4 and the pressure part 4a form components of a closing and/or clamping device which at least resembles pliers and, advantageously, operates at least partially automatically. It will be understood that in the last-mentioned case several of the said components are present.

FIG. 6, which shows further details, chiefly of the lid and again in partial cross-section, is intended to supplement the previously described Figures.

The container wall end lb with its rolled-on profiled flange le,which terminates in a flat flanged end lg via a relatively sharp flange edge lf, is again shown. The purpose of the flange end lg is to serve as a more satisfactory stop for the skirt bead 2g, which is rolled inwards in this case and now resembles a rolling edge, after clamping of this flange and thus to secure the lid for safe transport. The grooved edge ring 2ee also plays a part, in that it prevents excessive resilience of the lid skirt 2f.

As a further variant, the lid base 2a is limited by a rounded groove 2bb, which rises relatively steeply to the lid wall 2c. This serves, firstly, for better centering of the base flange 1h of another container 1i stacked on the lid and, secondly, also enables lids to be stacked, which greatly facilitates transport and storage of the same and is also advantageous for receiving the closing and/or clamping device.

A support 40 designed as a plate, which centres the lid 2 and thus also the underlying container 1, by means of the frusto-conical surface 4d, before clamping of the skirt edge, is shown by dot-dash lines as a component of the last-mentioned device.

What is claimed is:

1. ln a lidded container comprising:

1. a container having an upper end wall and a rolled peripheral edge extending radially outwardly from the upper end wall of the container, and

2. an approximately U-shaped lid having a. wall projecting into the upper end wall of the container and radially reinforcing the upper end wall,

b. an edge ring radially outwardly extending from the lid wall, and c. a skirt extending downwardly from the periphery of the edge ring and having an edge at the end thereof, the lid edge ring and skirt defining a groove with the upper end wall of the container,

and the groove receiving the peripheral edge of the container. the-improvement which comprises in combination a clip-shaped skirt edge having at least one circumferentially disposed slot disposed therein, wedge-type sides projecting from the skirt edge and projecting outwardly from beneath said slot, and a partially extended skirt edge disposed onto said wedge-type sides and integral therewith for elastically radially inwardly tensioning the skirt edge and thereby to press the skirt edge against the upper end wall of the container, the tensioned skirt edge causing the skirt sealingly to enclose the peripheral edge of the container and to hold the peripheral edge firmly in position in the groove between the upper end wall of the container and the skirt of the lid.

2. In the lidded container of claim 1, the skirt having a plurality of peripherally spaced slots.

3. In the lidded container of claim 1, the edge ring, the skirt and its edge being pretensioned against the upper end wall of the container. 

1. In a lidded container comprising:
 1. a container having an upper end wall and a rolled peripheral edge extending radially outwardly from the upper end wall of the container, and
 2. an approximately U-shaped lid having a. wall projecting into the upper end wall of the container and radially reinforcing the upper end wall, b. an edge ring radially outwardly extending from the lid wall, and c. a skirt extending downwardly from the periphery of the edge ring and having an edge at the end thereof, the lid edge ring and skirt defining a groove with the upper end wall of the container, and the groove receiving the peripheral edge of the container: the improvement which comprises in combination a clip-shaped skirt edge having at least one circumferentially disposed slot disposed therein, wedge-type sides projecting from the skirt edge and projecting outwardly from beneath said slot, and a partially extended skirt edge disposed onto said wedge-type sides and integral therewith for elastically radially inwardly tensioning the skirt edge and thereby to press the skirt edge against the upper end wall of the container, the tensioned skirt edge causing the skirt sealingly to enclose the peripheral edge of the container and to hold the peripheral edge firmly in position in the groove between the upper end wall of the container and the skirt of the lid.
 2. an approximately U-shaped lid having a. wall projecting into the upper end wall of the container and radially reinforcing the upper end wall, b. an edge ring radially outwardly extending from the lid wall, and c. a skirt extending downwardly from the periphery of the edge ring and having an edge at the end thereof, the lid edge ring and skirt defining a groove with the upper end wall of the container, and the groove receiving the peripheral edge of the container: the improvement which comprises in combination a clip-shaped skirt edge having at least one circumferentially disposed slot disposed therein, wedge-type sides projecting from the skirt edge and projecting outwardly from beneath said slot, and a partially extended skirt edge disposed onto said wedge-type sides and integral therewith for elastically radially inwardly tensioning the skirt edge and thereby to press the skirt edge against the upper end wall of the container, the tensioned skirt edge causing the skirt sealingly to enclose the peripheral edge of the container and to hold the peripheral edge firmly in position in the groove between the upper end wall of the container and the skirt of the lid.
 2. In the lidded container of claim 1, the skirt having a plurality of peripherally spaced slots.
 3. In the lidded container of claim 1, the edge ring, the skirt and its edge being pretensioned against the upper end wall of the container. 